equipment operator

grounds maintenance worker

loader

crew member

shuttle driver

RJ Corman Railroad Group

RJ Corman 2021 is the most disappointing thing since RJ Corman 2020. What kind of an intro is that, you say? Well, it's hard to be let down anymore when your expectations are so low they're right next to dinosaur bones. I came in hoping for basically nothing, and in less than a year, still managed to walk out feeling defeated. It's difficult to pin the issue on any one problem, and I could probably end the review here, but I'm just warming up. Let me put on my rubber gloves, and I'll point out anything good if I can find it.

I'm sure my therapist would tell me to use a compliment sandwich, so bread first: the job is actually pleasantly simple. Do you retain control of most of your senses? Aspirate occasionally? Were you able to navigate the killing fields of pandemic job hunting? Congratulations, my lovelies, you're already more than qualified to drive cars, park cars, and sometimes wear hats. Be here at 6 tomorrow morning and let the disenchantment begin.

First up, lettuce: the real, or the work environment. I have never in my life had a job whose sole motivation was money. Temper your starry-eyed hopefulness following the presentation and Rick Corman biopic. This is not the workplace he described. This is not the coworker-family member dynamic he envisioned. Princeton's five Big Rocks eroded a long time ago. Do not come here looking for camaraderie. Do not come here looking for an engaging, fun career. To utter such words on the desecrated asphalt of the C-block will net you nothing but scoffs and horror stories of employees long passed. Call it confirmation bias if you like, but when it's skewed so colossally in one direction, well...

A bit of an asphalt-ey tangent. Did you know that, when present to an overwhelming degree, asphalt lots will amplify practically any weather pattern? It's fascinating, honestly. Sweltering heat, torrential rain, biting cold, slicing winds. Just amazing stuff. Better hope your remembered your poncho. You're going to be here for 11-13 hours a day in southern Indiana's psychotically mercurial weather, you trooper.

Next, naturally, the bacon. It's undercooked and smells a bit like lighter fluid. It can represent the meta, the time commitment. It is also personally my biggest issue. I obviously cannot fault Princeton for being 40 minutes from my place, but combining that with the consistent overtime made for a long day, rolling over and over into a very, VERY long week. I left home at 5a, and rarely returned before 6p. Weekday free time will be a thing of the past. Immediate family connections will be strained, unless you've managed to marry a literal saint. I watched burgeoning friendships dissolve. I watched parents lamenting their relationship with their own children. Your weekends are spent trying desperately to recuperate from the prior five days, and that's assuming you don't work Saturday. Nintendo Power Top Tip: you will work many Saturdays. Good luck getting through 11 days of mind-numbing drudgery with one day off. Even more so if you're introverted. You'll be a better person than me. 

For you sociopaths that like raw tomatoes, we'll call this one the physical. The overwhelming majority of your day is spent in a shuttle. More or less a fleet runabout. Thought is not given to them. Voices are not given to them. They are far and away the hardest workers in the company. They are also treated abysmally. Do you want to hear a funny joke? Shuttle maintenance. Window seals? Gone. Speakers? Blown. Headlights? Flip a coin, my dude. I can TECHNICALLY say the brakes work, and that's only because you can hear them grinding. And you're going to need them, because several shuttles also have dangerously sticky throttles. Rick Corman would roll over in his grave if he knew the condition these vehicles were in. Molding crumbs in every crack and crevice. Garbage stuffed under the seats and into the door storage pockets. Mystery stains and odors on every seat. Most of the shuttles still have a fine layer of rock salt residue in the footwells, and I fully anticipate it'll remain through the summer. Do not wear clothes that you're fond of when you work here. They'll not be salvageable after a few shifts.

Mayonnaise will be the social, and it's another big one. The peers and leadership. Your shuttle comprises you, and two or three other people, who almost definitely talk about you when you're gone. Feel free to scratch the 'almost'. You'd better be a social butterfly, or be absolutely brilliant at entertaining yourself. Even then, you should pray that the friends you make get along with you like a wildfire, because 10 hours a day for a week will turn single serving friends into vapid harpies within one pay period. And the drama. It. Is. CONSTANT. Some people might say high school was the best time of their lives, and it is blatantly obvious that they've never left. The gossiping. The lying. The one-upping. Christ almighty, man, you graduated decades ago. It's time to hang up the ol' letterman jacket that you're wearing. I could not care less about your tertiary relatives, your plumbing, or your unsolicited life advice.

Stepping up from there we come to the "management". The juncture between your high-schooler coworkers and the bosses is dysfunctional at best, and kind of oppressive at worst. That might sound a bit harsh, but when your only real job is to keep the work flowing, and morale at even a bare passable minimum, failing to do so necessitates...more accurate language. The confidence most of my peers had in the higher ups was laughable. Contemptible, even. The shining few I spoke with that did their jobs well, that cared, made an honest effort, and had a exceedingly rare ability called 'empathy' were drowned by the others. Just pinpricks of light in a rolling sea of offal. Now I will concede, a notable portion of the social stress present stems from a shortage of new hires. Running a skeleton crew every day for months on end does not a lasting workforce create. I understand that you might be between a rock and a significantly hard place, but when you're so afraid to hold people accountable, or reprimand anyone, the natural progression from there is to have employees who walk all over you. Stretch the 'rules' to their absolute limit, fearlessly, knowing they'll never face confrontation for it. Bosses might drop you a little passive-aggressiveness here or there. Wax poetic over the radio during the day, or bring it up the following morning to exhausted, lifeless, uncaring eyes. Maybe have a completely platitudinous meeting later that you're likely not to even be present for. Hope your wrists don't hurt from that ruler slap, you lil hellion. Sod off.

Salt and pepper will be a bit of an odd one, and I admittedly don't have a nice word to quantify it. It's the relationship between contractor and sub-contractor. My sweet, naive self expected it to be more cooperative. You know, teamwork makes the dream work, and all that, and less...ah...well. Let's just say that one of those parties is so dominant it'd make Aiden Starr blush. I sincerely hope you're into that, because it is omnipresent and unflinching.

Final bread layer, and the remaining positive, will be the compensation, and even that might roll out a little back-handed. I do fully intend for it to come across that way. The pay is very solid for the area. They recently implemented a blanket raise to 15/h for every employee, which was widely appreciated, and a step in the right direction. Your check will be satisfying, and you'll bank quite a bit fairly quickly. Primarily because you won't actually have time to spend it recreationally. Bills, food, gas, laundry detergent, deodorant. The Corman employee needs nothing else.

So there we are, lads. We've made it to the end, and assembled a BLT that looks like a dumpster fire and reeks of body odor. I've already contacted a HAZMAT team, and we can all pray for the unfortunate soul that has to deal with it after me. Currently, the company has some serious issues, and they seem to only be concerned with the bare minimum effort required to keep the contract afloat, let alone address anything. Morale is at an all time low. Confidence in management is non-existent. Company pride is a joke. Something needs to change, because right now, I can't legitimately suggest anyone consider applying here without being in the most dire of straits.

To the handful of people I mutually enjoyed working with, it was a pleasure, and I hope I made the last handful of months all the better for it. I wholeheartedly wish you the best, and I've written a poem (with a bit of help) to commemorate the occasion. God have mercy on us all.

RJ's Lament, a haiku

Gilded promises
Shroud symphonies of contempt
Abjection abounds

RJ Corman is not just your typical bad place to work. It’s much worse than that. My co-workers were pretty easy to get along with and the job itself wasn’t bad but the management has not even the slightest idea about how to run a company. Managers pick favorites. Team Leads will talk about you behind your back to co-workers. There is absolutely no sense of unity here. They preach team work and safety but disobey almost every rule they have and very rarely jump in to help. They are very understaffed and the turnover there is crazy simply because RJ Corman could care less about their employees. A majority of the people I worked with had families at home and I personally can tell you it really takes a toll on yourself and your family when you have to take work home with you. When you spend 10+ hours somewhere doing what you’re told to do exactly how you’re told to do it (which changes almost every day) 5 to 7 days a week while not being valued not even in the slightest way possible would drive any person crazy and i’m one of them. I was at constant war with myself because as a 21 year old single mom of two I knew I couldn’t just quit because my children relied on me but it was almost impossible to find the time to look for a new job because I was working 5:30am to 4:30pm if not alittle later every day and when I got off I had things to do because I just as everyone else have a life outside of work and things i’ve gotta get done. It wouldn’t be a bad place to work as long as you didn’t care to just be another number to a company and not seen as an actual person. Right before shut down I worked 12 days straight, no lunch break while pulling doubles and got drafted to work both saturday and sunday right before christmas. My check showed I had worked 120 hours (that’s not including the 45 minutes they automatically take out everyday after so many hours of work wether you’ve actually had that break or not) so needless to say I was exhausted and an incident happened. I came too close to a guard rail while turning and scratched the back passenger door and bumper. I reported the accident right away and was told by my team lead that everything would be okay and I wouldn’t lose my job then was told by the safety coordinator it would just depend on how much the damages costed if I’d get to keep my job or not. They sent me home on suspension and said i’d hear back from them at the first of the year. I called twice and left a voicemail on January 2nd the day I should have been returning back to work after shut down and heard nothing. January 3rd I get a call from the manager saying he had complete the investigation of the incident that had happened on December 22nd, 2019 and he’s come to the conclusion that they are terminating my employment wishes me the best of luck and hung up. I missed two days without an approved rto and had doctors notes for both of them out of the entire time I was employed there, didn’t involve myself with any of the stupid amount of drama created there, showed up did what I needed to do everyday and left, had never had an accident or any incident happen there before and had never had any write ups or verbal warnings over anything but scratched a car while being cautious an got fired. I’m not denying the fact that something like that is a pretty big deal when you’re working with brand spankin’ new cars, but when you know that one of your team leads had backed a brand new production car right into a pole and totaled it right before becoming team lead then you get fired for putting a few scratches on a car it feels alittle unjust and unfair. Everyone who works there is trying to find a way out so i’m telling you now, if you’ve got other options consider them.

I'm currently employed at RJ Corman I've been there almost 10 years, Most of the reviews I've read are either from disgruntled ex employees or from employees that are not really fond of working. You must understand this is a hands on company that requires manual labor in all weather conditions, depending on your job title it may require extensive travel. this review is based on manual labor positions i have no knowledge of how office positions operate. 1st thing lets get real this is a railroad company that should automatically tell you this is a manual labor company its not for people who are afraid of work, if your afraid of getting your hands dirty or you don't like to sweat or if you don't like to work out in the weather don't apply for a job. I've read a lot of comments about lack of advancement, I came from a labor to a manager I can tell you with certainty there is room for advancement but its up to you. You may think in YOUR OWN MIND your the most valuable and hard working employee on your crew but in reality your only doing what your getting paid to do. I know for a fact there can be long hours I've worked countless 16-20 hour days I've even worked 38 - 40 hours straight without any sleep it can be tough and demanding, but what do you expect its a RAILROAD company anything involving the railroad should tell you its not going to be a gravy job. in summery if your a hard worker. if your not afraid to get dirty. if your not afraid to put in some long hours at times or travel long distances. apply for a job its a truly good place to work. I owe a lot to this company when I look around at all the things this company has afforded me, the life I'm able to have I thank the Lord for the opportunity he gave me to work for a company as good as RJ Corman has been to me, I assure you it didn't come without sacrifices and it still doesn't I'm away from my family 260 days a year

As a former employee of 3 years, I dont reccomend working here. I stuck it out because the job is easy but there is a lot of stuff that goes on here. Favoritism. Upper management sleeping with multiple employees. Gossip. Harrassment. There is a guy who was on night shift that has been reported multiple times for harassing women, myself included..management didnt do anything about it. Instead,they moved the guy to day shift. I got pregnant during my time there and they were less than accommodating. No maternity leave. No time off. I worked during my entire pregnancy up until the day I had my baby and had to provide a doctors excuse for the 6 weeks off after I had my baby. They also make you have your doctor fax in your doctors excuse which is rediculous. The shuttles you drive are poorly maintained, if maintained at all and dangerous. Transmission issues and brake issues that they dont fix but expect you to log everything thats wrong into a folder everyday that they dont even look at. The inside of the shuttles dont get cleaned so many of the employees get sick. They recently gave a supervisor position to a guy who wrecked and totaled a shuttle instead of promoting someone who deserved it with no safety incidents. They have no handbook or set of rules. They make them up as they go. I was a team lead and was expected to uphold rules and safety amongst employees and hold employees accountable by writing them up and reporting to management. I wrote up many of the same employees for breaking the same rules, a lot of them for speeding and driving recklessly and management didnt do anything about it. They dont care about you. You are just a number.

This is a great job if you enjoy lazy, power tripping team lead, supervisors, and HR, who say they have your back, WHICH they do, right before they stick the knife in it to make themselves  look better.  If you love a job with a company that treats their employees like their enemies, than this is the job for you!  If you love double standards and favoritism with you on the loosing end no matter how hard you work, than this is the job for you!   
Do you excel when you are constantly being told that everything you do is wrong?  Do you enjoy a non team environment?  Do you thrive in an atmosphere that is full of daily drama, lies, and gossip? Than THIS is the job for you!!!!  You will receive PTO but wont be allowed to use it when you need it, and if you are "Separated" from this company they will keep all the PTO You EARNED!  They do offer a really fun day full of misdirection and micro managing, and you can be sure they will treat you with the respect of a dirt clod. This company is also Awesome at sharing your personal and private information with your co-workers! 
OH and no worries about the stress of trying to impress so that you can work your way up in this company,  they don't hire on merit and job ethics!   
So APPLY Today and before you know it...you too will become depressed, overworked, unappreciated, and as hateful as your bosses!!

From rumors maybe this company use to be okay for career advancement. From what I've seen unless you came from the railroad (CSX) your not going to be anything but a number to replace forever. Whatever money you get when you hire, don't expect too much more than that. If you want a career this isn't it, go to the main  line. If you  just need a temporary job to get by until you find better go ahead and sign up. The only thing this company cares about anymore is keeping a (fake) good name, and keeping those big dollars in the head bosses pockets. They don't care about the employees who help keep the company going. I will never go back or recommend anyone close to me to accept a job position for this company. Management is poor, no managers last long, turnover rates are TERRIBLE, and teamwork is not applied. Its a company that preaches safety but doesn't care about safety unless it effects there pockets. This job is for kids looking to save money until they figure out what they REALLY want to do in life. Corman is a joke, they should just retire the company just like there outdated equiptment.

My typical day of work begins with a job briefing  discussing the work that we are going to perform, for example if we are working on the railroad tracks we will get permission from an EIC which is also known as the employee in charge. The EIC will inform us of train travel direction,time,and and number of train being ran. When we get the track we will begin work such as changing rail,ties,or installing switches. Over the period of 4 years I have accumulated several skills, such as learning how to build switches, gageing track,replacing ties,learning what to look for as far as imperfections, leaning to load trucks with front end loaders, and excavator. Teaching me these trades which is management is very knowledgeable and helpful,and patient. The management expects hard work, but not to over exsurt yourself when it's hot. Working on the railroad involves very hard work, typically working in the hottest parts of the country and the coldest parts of the country. The most enjoyable part of my job is the people, and seeing new places.

They punish you by forcing you work emergency Saturday if you have been in an accident and had to call in earlier in the week. Yes if you have to miss they force you to work no matter your seniority. The managers talk  down to you and yell at you. They do not supply you with the tools needed to work in inclement weather.  You may start at 6am and not get out until 6pm, you never know. They provide bad benefits after you have been there a while. They promote unqualified people who single out workers and pick on them and talk down to all. They can't keep employees because they give no respect for people. They "coach"  everyone on every single thing a person forgets all the while telling you to hurry up and not let the factory line stop. they won't hire enough people at one time in order to meet the demand, they could, just don't. Just could be a decent job, but managed so poorly it's not 

This place is the biggest joke!! With the high turnaround rate you would think the company would invest in the employees that have stuck with the company! NO THEY DO NOT!! 
The management plays nothing but favoritism, if your not one of their favorites forget it and rules will only apply to the ones not favored!
They are a DISCRIMATORY company, The company asked for volunteers to travel out of state to help another location but since I was a female they said no because corporate did not want to pay for an extra room for me! 
Well than why not just ask what males can go?
Also don't ask for time off if you do not have PTO to cover it cause they will approve your time off then write you up for the days missed when you come back!
They are also really good at going back months and I mean 3-5 months back and writing people up for attendance from that far back! They usually do that when you make them mad! (I WAS NEVER WRITTEN UP FOR ATTENDANCE) but know many who did!!
They do not care about the health and well being of their employees!!
They do not want to accept any responsibility for anything that happens to an employee! 
 

Upper management wasn’t so bad and were very attentive to problems you brought to them but because of the work environment not much changed while I was there. Lower management is very unprofessional and immature. You are usually there about 11 hours a day and usually six days a week, could be seven. You do get vacation days but if you want time off you can’t save your vacation time and take unpaid time off. You have to use your vacation time first. The shuttles that are provided are not maintained as they should be. They are dirty and lots of people got sick because. of them. They overheat often, A/C doesn’t always work (which is unsatisfactory considering you are out on the 120 degree blacktop for 11 hours), they sometimes have gear shifting issues causing them to lurch back when in reverse and lurch forward in drive. Pay is very little for what you have to go through. Overall, it is a very stressful environment and I don’t recommend it unless you have no other obligations, don’t plan on having a social life or a family, and plan on going to bed as soon as you get home.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Equipment operator 15 salaries reported	$26.72 per hour
Grounds maintenance worker 12 salaries reported	$72,917 per year
Loader 2 salaries reported	$19.85 per hour
Crew member 2 salaries reported	$24.56 per hour
Shuttle driver 34 salaries reported	$15.48 per hour

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